With a professional working relationship spanning three decades, Gary F Martinez FAIA and Thomas E Johnson FAIA founded Martinez+Johnson Architecture in 1994 to bring their design sensitivities to institutional and cultural projects in urban locations. The 25-architect firm has since established an expertise in three main architectural areas – the restoration and adaptive reuse of historic structures, institutional buildings in urban areas and community settings, and the design and planning of performing arts venues.

Known for a thoughtful design approach to public facilities, M+J develops an intimate understanding of the needs of users, patrons, and operators destined to inhabit the projects of the firm. M+J looks to the future in their design aesthetic even when the context may be firmly rooted in the past and executes creative solutions to facilities both new and historic, where flexibility, ease of operation, and high but versatile performance characteristics are requisite. Venues express aspirational values and goals of the communities within which they are located, and at the same time conform to issues of economic value at the highest levels of environmental sustainability.

Boyd Theatre + Hotel

Boyd Theatre + Hotel

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Located in the prestigious Center City Philadelphia, the Boyd Theatre is part of an historic district and has much to contribute to an important and significantly growing commercial district around Chestnut Street. The theatre opened in 1928, the only Art Deco first-run movie palace and vaudeville house in Philadelphia. Designed by William Hoffman and Paul Henon, Jr, it was considered the premier theatre in the city.

Opportunity

The overall goal for the adaptive reuse study was to return the Boyd Theatre to an active venue for touring Broadway theatre and other live entertainment, as well as returning an architectural landmark to the community. The project involved the renovation and adaptive reuse of the historic theatre, with the construction of a new state house that would accommodate touring shows of today. An important component of the redevelopment was qualification for Historic Tax Credits.

Creation

Martinez+Johnson designed the Boyd Theatre and Hotel with an added dimension to the travelers’ hospitality experience in Center City, Philadelphia. The complex was conceived as an integrated destination experience, connecting at several levels to the 54,000 square foot event space located in the transformed historic Boyd Theatre. The beautifully restored Art Deco features of the venue added unique character to the variety of spaces, designed to flexibly accommodate gatherings both grand and intimate. The theatre would also function as a state-of-the-art conference and corporate meeting center, as well as house several restaurants. In fashion, the historic Boyd Theatre could be an experimental extension of the new hotel’s patron-oriented banqueting, food, and conferencing facilities.

During the process of design, the project was stalled due to a change in owners. Over the course of time, numerous attempts to salvage the Boyd were made, and the theatre was listed as one of The Preservation for Greater Philadelphia’s Annual Endangered Properties, The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and The Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Despite efforts, demolition of the Boyd began March 2015.